


Warrior Hearts

by AmeliaBaggins



Category: Smallville, Transformers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:07:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7208954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaBaggins/pseuds/AmeliaBaggins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started with an robotic alien trying to attack her in the middle of the street, good thing Chloe knows how to handle herself.  Then again it doesn't hurt that she has a certain Major Will Lennox keeping an eye on her and making sure that she doesn't get into too much trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

I.  
She met him when she was being terrorized by alien robotic technology; a whole species that wanted only their sun to use for their own growth and civilization. All in all, she wasn’t as surprised as she should have be. There was a car parked on the road, seemingly normal. And suddenly it turned into a giant robot, intent on killing her; for what reason, she couldn’t even guess, but she’d gotten good at running away from things out to lob her head from her body. She didn’t scream, she didn’t draw attention to herself, instead she eyed every out for escape that she could take in before the gnashing and squealing of metal on everything around her made her heart hammer painfully in her chest. Fear was natural; she told herself that as long as she never lost the terror that came along with her daily life, she wasn’t as insane as her past made her sound.

So she was hoofing it down main street, ducking behind whatever she could, hoping to hide from the scanning eye that followed her every move and chased after her on wheels that used to belong to some harmless looking Mercury Mystique. She wondered if the glock strapped to her hip would even ‘hurt’ it and then decided there was no reason not to at least try. So she unstrapped it, turned while still running, and unloaded an entire magazine, frowning as her bullets barely dented the metal body. Cursing to herself, she hopped the curve and ran up a car, using the height of its roof to bring her closer to the hanging fire escape ladder of a nearby apartment building. She was crawling to the second floor, looking back and desperately hoping that it would give up and go away. It didn’t.

The ladder was torn from the wall like it was batting a fly from the air, and she went with it. Before her and the metal ladder crash to the hard, wet pavement she leapt and tumbled, groaning as her body slammed and rolled painfully. Breathing hard and pained in every inch of her body, she was up and moving more on adrenaline and fear than anything else. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, and she might’ve hit her head, but she thought it was laughing at her.

Suddenly, jeeps dressed in ARMY décor, hauling giant guns and soldiers out for a fight came barreling around the corner. They weren’t surprised to see her attacker and she can only hope that somehow, in some completely unbelievably bizarre way, her Uncle Sam found out and sent in the cavalry. They came to a screeching halt and started shooting like crazy; shouting orders to each other like they’d done this before and it wasn’t anything weird or new. She was running in between convoys, just trying to escape, to forget it ever happened, when she was hauled up into one of the cars and shoved down and out of the way. All she saw was fatigues and hoped her new kidnapper wasn’t paying attention when she made another move to run away.

“Stay down!” someone shouted at her. “Easy for you to say,” she muttered back before rolling over. She spotted the glint of shiny metal and saw a .45 strapped to his hip, without asking she took it and started shooting. Her aim was perfect despite the shaking of her insides, and she managed to hit him center in its big metallic red eye. It seemed to yell before it shook its head and then charged them. “Nice work, you pissed it off!” She glared at the man next to her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t play nice with R2D2, but he just tried to squash me into a pancake on the concrete. So excuse me if I’m not in a cheery mood!”   
He glanced back at her, a smile tweaking his lips. “You can’t show an alien robot a little hospitality? They’re more afraid of you than you are of them!” She snorted and knew he had to be joking, because there was no way that monstrous tin can was afraid of her, even if she did just take out its eye. He had a gun over his shoulder that was probably bigger than her entire body; he held it casually, waiting for the right moment to use it and she wondered if that was his only job. But then he was shouting out orders and commands and she realized he might just be the captain of this unusual band of soldiers, out to take down alien technology roaming the streets of Metropolis. “Any idea why it’s after you?” he asked, cocking a brow at her.

She thought he might be trying to intimidate her and maybe if she were anybody else that might’ve worked. But surrounded by hollering men with guns, shooting at some huge alien robot while she and he hash out the reason she was in danger didn’t actually feel unusual, per se. She was pretty sure she was bleeding, had a concussion, and should be freaking out right about now, but she was taking it all in stride and couldn’t help but notice that this guy was actually pretty good looking. A solid 6’4 with dark brown hair and hazel eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled; and boy, that smile, if it weren’t for the explosions to her right she would’ve thought it was his grin making fireworks behind her pupils. He had wide shoulders and a long, lean frame that she was sure his fatigues were hardly doing justice to.  
She tipped her head to the side mockingly before answering him, “Besides that intergalactic war I started? Gee, I have no idea…” He rolled his eyes, snorted in amusement and then shook his head. “At least you’re not crying.”

She snorted; as if. “I’ll keep my tears at a minimum, Soldier Boy. You take out the robot and then we’ll talk specifics.” He smirked, turned around, and then lets loose the largest missile she’d ever seen up close. It hit the massive alien center in his chest, blowing it into three different pieces. Soldiers ran forward to separate the parts and make sure it wasn’t about to make a revival any time soon. Turning his weapon around behind his neck, he hooked his arms around it casually. “You were saying.” She scoffed. “So you can kill giant robots… Way to grow an ego before you even get my name.”

He laughed before bowing his head in faux-modesty. “Major Will Lennox,” he introduced, holding a hand out for her. Taking it, she shook abruptly. “Chloe Sullivan, no ties to the ARMY unless you include my Uncle Sam… and no, that’s not a joke, his name is really Sam.” He chuckled, nodding. “So, Miss Sullivan… No offense, but usually when a Decepticon is hunting humans it has a pretty good reason… At least, in its opinion.” She frowned. “Decepticon…” She looked over at the robot with renewed interest. “Fitting.” He stared, waiting. “Look, Major, I seriously have no idea what it is this robot wants… I was on my way home from work when I noticed a car was tailing me. Not totally unusual,” she admitted with a shrug. “But when that car turns into that-” She pointed at the immobile Decepticon, “it becomes a problem!” His eyes turned to the side thoughtfully. “Right… You’re gonna have to come with us.” “Hah!” Her eyes widened comically before she hopped out of the car and started speed-walking away, ignoring the pain in her legs and arms from where she’d landed hard. “Thanks but no thanks!” With a sigh, he cast his missile launcher to the side and jumped out after her. “Ma’am, it’s a matter of national security!” “Yeah, well sir, this ‘ma’am’ has better things to do than sit around in some holding cell until your superiors decide to grill me a few thousand times and then tell me whatever it was I saw, I really didn’t see!” He frowned but doesn’t contradict her. “Look, I really can’t just let you leave.”

Turning, she stared up at him darkly. “Let’s get something clear here. I was just chased down and harassed by some alien robot called a Decepticon and now you want me to sit down with the government and their even less honest lawyers until we can come to an agreement on how to best shut me up.” Hands on her hips, she walked toward him, glaring. “I have no interest in breaking this open world wide. Why? Because I’ve been living under the radar the last few years and keeping as far away from any of this as I possibly could. So you and your little band of do-good robot killers are going to drive away and pretend you never saw me. And trust me; I’m going to do the same.” Crossing his arms, he licked his lips and stared down at her searchingly. “And I’m just supposed to take your word that you won’t spill about all this to the news?”  
She laughed. “If you see my face on the news talking about alien robots, without any proof I might add, it’ll be because they’re hauling poor crazy Chloe Sullivan off to Belle Reeve.” Saluting him mockingly, she turned on her heel to leave. “Good luck and goodbye, Major Lennox.”“It’s Will,” he called after her. Glancing back, she smiled at him before she shook her head and left him and his robot secrets in the dust.  
…  
He met her shortly after he got a call that there was a Decepticon attacking a civilian somewhere in main Metropolis. Having been tracking that same Decepticon, codename Terror, they weren’t far off from the mark. On foot, she was running away when they caught up and it wasn’t hard to haul her inside the safety of the jeep as his team moved into battle mode. While scared she didn’t seem too afraid to try and run away again, which in most situations might have really pissed him off. However, given what had just happened and what she’d seen, he figured if he were like her he would’ve left it to the authorities too. And then she went and shot Terror and blew out one of his eyes – so maybe she wasn’t as innocent and scared as she looked.

She was snarky, goading him into ending the whole battle on his own. So he did, rather arrogantly at that. And when he turned back around to her, the danger now gone, he was surprised. It’d been two years since his wife died and not once since then had a woman ever caught his eye or interest. He was unwilling to admit that was just what happened when Chloe Sullivan looked up at him, as calm as could be.  
She was beautiful; short, slender with soft curves, blonde hair and vivid green eyes. Her grin was mischievous and her eyes held a tenacious glint that promised wit and trouble. Sobering, he shook his head of whatever spark might’ve grown. What followed was a conversation he wasn’t sure he had the upper-hand in. He couldn’t remember the last time somebody argued with him and got away with it but she wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable stating her opinions and stance on things. If he’d been going by the books, she’d be brought into custody and questioned until blue in the face. She made a good point though and while his superiors would no doubt tell him he was idiot for letting a witness walk away, he did just that. With all the arrogance she possessed, she gave him a mocking salute and was well on her way down the road, only glancing back to smile cheekily at him.

He shouldn’t have given her a second thought; in all honesty, it would’ve been smarter to forget all about her and what had happened. But that wasn’t his job. While Decepticons were notorious for their lack of compassion, it wasn’t often they needlessly attacked a civilian. So either she was lying and she knew more than she would admit or the woman he just let go was in a lot more danger than either of them knew.  
Cursing the situation, Will knew he was going to have to do a lot more digging into one Chloe Sullivan and he really hoped that this was just a random, pointless attack. He didn’t know her well, but he wouldn’t wish the wrath of the Decepticons on anyone. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

II.  
When Chloe set eyes on him again, he was on her computer screen. So she wouldn’t go global, but that wasn’t going to stop her from doing a little inventive researching. There were a whole lot of sites talking about the alien robot phenomena, with shoddy video and everything. She decided looking into Lennox would be more beneficial and soon enough, with a whole lot of creative typing, she had his biography at her fingertips. He had a daughter, six year old Annabelle Lennox, his wife died a few years back, and he’d risen in the ranks quickly. He’d earned enough medals and honors to make him a national hero but most of his work was done behind the scenes. She found a locked folder on something called NEST and while it took a good portion of her hacking expertise, she finally got through to the whole shebang.  
Bingo.  
Decepticons. Autobots. Sam Witwicky. Qatar. Hoover dam. Mission City. Pentagon. Sector Seven. AllSpark. Egypt. Everything. It took her hours to read through everything and by the time she was done, her eyes were stinging from staring at the screen too long. She didn’t have all the names down but she got the main picture. Good guys, bad guys, ditto for the aliens, and a teenager just trying to hock some antique glasses when his plan went seriously awry. She had a feeling she and Sam Witwicky had a lot in common.

Alarms started going off, letting her know that her hacking had been noticed and she disappeared as quickly as possible, pulling out and leaving a whole lot of trails for them to follow that would never lead back to her. There were perks to being a super-genius-hacker. To them, she’d be a ghost; in and out with no substantial ties to who she was or what she’d been doing. They could search all they wanted and they’d find nothing.

As she sat back in her apartment, she felt overwhelmed. Now she knew and she couldn’t help but regret promising that she wouldn’t tell people. This was big; huge; monumental. But then, she wondered if maybe it was in the right hands. So she didn’t trust the government and the ARMY wasn’t exactly known for its gentle touch, but she’d met Lennox and she’d seen his team in action and just reading his dossier put her a little to rest. So she tried to forget about it; all of it. From the attack to the information she gathered; but it all made for one very restless sleep.  
…  
When Will set eyes on her again, she was on his computer screen. Due to his military status he was able to get into files that most civilians weren’t privy to. Sitting at home, his daughter fast asleep in her room, he sat back in his bed with his laptop displaying every news story and background check he could find on Chloe Ann Sullivan. She wasn’t what anybody would call the most ‘normal’ of people; she was on record as having been killed in an explosion and then mysteriously reappearing to stand against Lionel Luthor in court. She had a dead ex-husband, an uncle in the military, a cousin who seemed even more tenacious than her and a record a mile long. On top of that, when he dug deeper, he found various published works having to do with a meteor shower resulting in mutations of all kinds in the locals of her hometown. It seemed wherever Chloe went, trouble followed; both in college and work, during her stay in Metropolis she’d run into her fair share of injustice. How she managed to survive as long as she did, he couldn’t imagine.

Her medical records were shocking. Everything from bruised ribs to death was listed and how she kept coming back was a mystery even to the doctors. He wondered if perhaps the Decepticons had learned something of the meteor rocks Chloe was famed for blaming over the years and were searching her out because of it. He couldn’t be sure without talking to her and he had no actual proof that said meteor rocks were dangerous; except for that of a teenager writing stories for her high school newspaper. It seemed the local authorities hadn’t dubbed it worth looking into and he doubted his superiors would either.  
After a few more hours of digging and finding that the last few years of her life were more sedate compared to those of her past, he finally decided to end the search for the night. Just as he was about to power down his laptop, a picture caught his eye. She was younger, a few years or so, but there was joy on her face. A smile, warmth, sincere laughter and happiness. The woman he’d met hadn’t been that content; she looked jaded and careful. He wondered what had happened that changed her; what could be so debilitating that her smile no longer curved with sweet emotion?

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t his concern. Keeping her alive and the world safe, that was his job. Getting too deep or too close was something he would have to avoid.  
He would talk to General Morshower and Optimus and figure out the best mode of approach. Something was going on and he couldn’t deny that whatever it was it wouldn’t bode well for Chloe. He’d just have to be the one to stop it.  
…  
She was pretty sure someone was following her; or maybe it was some thing. It was ridiculous, but she thought her cell phone might be up and moving on its own. She would put it one place and find it elsewhere the next minute. So she was getting paranoid and she was staring at her phone as if she expected it to suddenly grow legs and attack, but it did nothing. Finally, she decided she needed some fresh air, and went out for a coffee – leaving her cell at home.

She was at the door before it attacked; suddenly it had razor sharp appendages that were trying to cut off anything it could reach and she was closing the door and gasping as razor blades were chopping through wood to make a hole for it to escape through and chase her. She was down the stairs and out on the sidewalk in what seemed like seconds. Running and dodging people left, right and center, she got as far as she could. Standing outside a burrito hut, she had a hand against her chest as if she expected her heart to jump out at any second and wanted to jam it back inside. Something was very wrong and while she wanted to avoid this whole thing she knew now she couldn’t. So she used a payphone and called the number she memorized three days prior. It rang three times before he picked up.  
“Yeah? Hello?” Before she could reply, he added, “Anna, please don’t use real food in your fake stove… Raw bacon isn’t a toy…”  
“Major Lennox?” she asked breathlessly, eyes scanning the streets for anything unusual.  
“Huh? Yeah?”  
“Uh… Look, this is Chloe Sullivan. We met—“  
“I remember…” There was a pause before he asked the inevitable, “How did you—?”  
“Does it matter?”  
“I don’t know yet,” he said dryly. “What’s up?”  
“Currently? My cell phone just tried to kill me… With unusually small saws that came out of it like, well, arms…” Her brow puckered as she chewed her lips. Great; now she sounded even more like a lunatic than ever before.  
“Where are you?” he asked darkly.  
“On a payphone in the middle of central Metropolis… Hoping my formerly harmless cell didn’t somehow track me here. Oh god, this is like all kinds of crazy.”  
“Yeah, no doubt. Look, uh… Just…” He sighed. “I can be in Metropolis in about an hour. Where can you meet me?”  
She was surprised; she thought he might send out the police and have her hauled in for questioning. Instead, she gave him the address to a book store; the only place she could think of that would have the least amount of electronics.  
Scanning the shelves, she walked up and down the aisles, pretending she didn’t see the irritation of the sales clerk who had obviously given up on her buying anything. She kept eyeing the cash register and anything that plugged into the walls, wondering if it might jump up and bite her. The hour seemed to drag, leaving her restless and fidgety. Picking up books here or there, she looked through them aimlessly, constantly checking her watch.  
He pulled up in front an hour and a half later in a black SUV with tinted windows. Since he got out in casual clothes and didn’t have a squad around him, she thought she might’ve just avoided Guantanamo Bay. He walked inside, pulled off his shades and scanned the rows for her. She was hiding in the literature section and took a second to absorb him before approaching; he looked better outside of his fatigues. He was all sleek muscle and tanned skin with a face that begged to be molded and touched and kissed. She shook her head of the very idea before stepping out to get his attention. Waving meekly, she shrugged as he stared at her.  
“No cell phone?” he asked, scanning her from head to toe.  
She rolled her eyes. “I also emptied my purse of anything else that might somehow turn into alien technology without my knowing.”  
“Good.” He slid his sunglasses back on. “Come on. We should get out of public.”  
Sighing, she followed after him, climbing in the front seat and plugging in her seatbelt before she noticed the cherubic face of the darling six year old in the backseat.  
“Chloe, Annabelle,” he introduced, closing the driver door. “Although I get the impression you already knew her name.”  
She had the good grace to blush. “So I’m not bad at hacking,” she admitted.  
“Not bad?” He cocked a brow. “You got into my private file and read up on the whole of NEST and everything that brought it to that point… You know more about Autobots and Decepticons than any civilian alive.”  
“Besides Sam Witwicky and his family,” she qualified.  
He grinned. “Yeah, besides them.” Pushing the truck into drive, he pulled out and got them onto the highway before talking. “Still no idea why they’re after you?”  
She pursed her lips. As if she wouldn’t have mentioned it by now.  
“I’ve given it entirely too much thought and I still have absolutely no idea.”  
He frowned. “Us either.”  
“So you didn’t just forget all about it like you promised?” she asked, cocking a brow.  
He glanced at her, smirking. “Looks like I’m not the only one.”  
There was a moment where they were stuck, staring at each other, forgetting all about the rest of the world and the traffic and the manic robots out to kill her and destroy the world. But then Annabelle was singing some song in the back and his head turned back to the road before they caused an accident and she was trying to clear her throat of the overwhelming urge to make more of this situation than there really was. She had to stay focused; this wasn’t an opportunity for anything more than staying alive a little longer. If only that truth would make her heart stop pounding.  
A little over an hour later, she found herself on a ranch, surrounded by huge open fields and a few grazing horses. Annabelle dubbed it ‘home,’ so she thought she might’ve just been invited into Will’s house. She was still surprised she wasn’t being escorted to a holding cell by armed guards. She felt the need to point that out.  
“You’re not dangerous,” he said simply, lifting his daughter out of the back seat and taking her hand to walk into the house.  
Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she followed after him. “And how would you know that?”  
He grinned charmingly. “You’re not the only one who can get into personal files, Chloe.”  
And Chloe Sullivan thought she might’ve just fallen for him a little right then.  
…  
“Go fish!” Annabelle shouted gleefully.  
Chloe grinned. “You are way too good at this game,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m starting to think your dad’s helping you cheat.”  
Giggling, she shook her head wildly, blonde curls bouncing at her shoulders.  
“Okay, your turn.”  
From the corner of her eyes, Chloe could see Will not-so-subtly showing his daughter four fingers as he passed by behind her to get the coffee ready.  
“Four!” she shouted, nearly bouncing in her seat.  
Chloe sighed, going along. “Again!” She shook her head. “You’re a pro at this!”  
Annabelle took her cards and placed them in the pile next to her. “After this daddy can get the Monopomy game!”  
“Monopoly,” Will corrected. “And we’ll see. That game takes hours and me and Chloe have some work to do.”  
Annabelle pouted. “Pleeeease…”  
He smiled. “We’ll see…”  
Looking back at Chloe, she said, “Hmm, seven!”  
She hung her head before handing over the seven in her hand. “I dunno if I wanna play Monopoly if you’re this good.”  
Eyes wide, she shook her head. “Oh, but you can be the hat!”  
Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Chloe pretended to think over the offer. “Well… Okay, I guess…” She glanced at Will, who was smiling to himself. “If your dad says we can anyway.”  
Annabelle beamed. “Cool. Do you have a…” She looked over at her dad. “Two?”  
She frowned to cover her grin and handing it over she then picked up her next five from the pile.  
Despite having alien robots on her tail and losing horribly at a game of goldfish with a six year old, she was actually feeling pretty good. Will didn’t know just how great he had it. Then again, looking over at him and seeing his warm amusement, maybe he did know. She hoped her latest lot in life didn’t get in the way of that.  
“Chloe?”  
Returning her attention to the little girl, she smiled in question.  
“I asked if you gotta six.”  
“Right. I do.” Plucking it from her hands, she gave it to her.  
For now, maybe she’d just focus on the lack of trouble, at least until she and Will got down to business.  
As long as it didn’t involve her going anywhere with bars, homicidal robots or slippery politicians, she was happy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

III.  
With Annabelle in the living room to give them privacy to “work,” Will took a seat across from the table. Coffee in hand, Chloe stared down into its black depths. “Two heads are better than one.” “In theory,” she muttered under her breath. “So, you know all about their race, or at least everything we know…” He stared at her, his eyes searching. “There’s nothing you’ve done lately that might connect you to them?”

She frowned. “Look, I’ve got a messed up history and a bad habit of getting into situations that aren’t good for my well-being. But at no point was I in contact with an AllSpark or anybody who might’ve been.” She huffed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. “I’m a freelance reporter that spends most of her time chasing down bad leads and getting myself into situations I can’t even write about afterwards. If I’d met an alien robot, I would’ve mentioned it by now.” Sighing with frustration, he shook his head. “Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way…” Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Leaning back in his chair, his brow wrinkled as he thought through the circumstances once more. “What if it’s not something you have or someone you’ve met?” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “What if it’s something they need you for?” She blinked. Like what? What could she possibly have that a superior race of robots needed? “Not sure I’m following…” “Like with Sam.” He frowned before tapping his temple. “He absorbed all the information they needed; maps and whatever. They hunted him down because they had to know what he knew…” She shook her head in disbelief. “But I don’t know anything…” His jaw clenched. “Maybe it’s something you can do…”

Her brows furrowed. “What? So I can hack for them? Can’t they do that themselves?” Panic stung her chest; all her life she’d loved her ability and now aliens wanted to distort that for their own gain.  
“We’ve got a team of the best hackers out there doing everything to keep them out. Not to mention we’re hunting Decepticons daily; we have a whole unit dedicated just to them…” Certain that he had the right idea, he was nodding now. “If they had a human on their end… One who could hack better than the teams we have and from a safe location that we couldn’t pinpoint.” He sighed. “They were strapped for time because they had to break into facilities, alerting us of where they were… But if they have you…” He stared at her grimly. 

She shuddered; great, now an alien race wanted to capture her for her brain. Just her luck! Licking her lips, she tried to avoid the very possibility. “What makes them think I can outdo the team you have?” He frowned. “Can you?” She didn’t want to be egotistical and having never met them, she wasn’t sure. But then Brainiac left her with one thing and that happened to be some mad intelligence; combined with her already incredible hacking and she was practically unbeatable. Will cursed, knowing her answer and absolutely certain he had it all figured out. “Son of a…”Rubbing her face, Chloe sighed. This wasn’t good; not at all.

When she spotted little Annabelle playing with her plastic kitchen set, she felt a hollowness in her chest. This little girl was innocent; she had no idea what evil was out there. Hell, her father did all he could to fight that evil, every day. And Chloe was the key to destroying all of that. If the Decepticons got their metal claws on her they’d use her to their advantage. And seeing as they seemed to be bent on doing so, it wasn’t safe for her to be there. She had to get away; from anyone and anything that might be in between her and the Decepticons. She wouldn’t be the reason Will lost his daughter.  
“I have to go.” “What?” He stared at her like she just sprouted a second head. “You can’t go anywhere. If they find you, that’s it!”

His intensity should have scared her, but for some reason it was comforting. Obviously she’d spent entirely too much time with heroes. “Look, you have a family, Will… If I stay here it puts Annabelle in trouble… I hardly know you, but the last thing I want is to put you and your daughter in danger.” Standing up from the table, she threw her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll hitchhike to the next town and then I’ll get a call out to my Uncle Sam… He’ll know what to do and where I can go.” “It’s four hours away! I can call someone to get you from here,” he argued. “No.” She stared down at him, sad but strong. “Thank you, for everything. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t know why this was happening…” She smiled appreciatively before reality crashed around them once more. “But if there’s an insurgence of military people here it’s gonna draw a big red X over your place...”

He looked ready to do battle with her and she knew he’d learn soon enough that a war of wills was her specialty. Leaning across the table, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you for everything.” Seeing the doubt in his face, she smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be fine,” she told him, hoping she was right. Before he could say anything more, she was out the door and making her way to the highway. She had a long journey ahead of her and she dearly hoped her Uncle Sam has some inkling to the alien war going on, because she just left her only ally in the dust.  
…  
Will sat his table contemplating the truth of what she’d said. Chloe was right. With her there it meant his daughter was in danger. Staring at Annabelle as she sat on the floor, pretending to make lunch on her plastic stove, he felt an ache in his chest that there was even a possibility he would lose her. He couldn’t risk that. But it was his duty to keep people safe, and that included the headstrong and stubborn Ms. Sullivan. With a sigh, he crossed to the living room and took a seat at the edge of the couch.

“Anna, baby, what do you think about spending some time at your Aunty Carrie’s house?” Looking up, she wrinkled her nose. “But me and Chloe are gonna play Monopoly,” she reminded. “Chloe…” He glanced at the door she’d left through; she was probably already walking down the highway. “Chloe and dad have to go away; we have some work to do and we won’t be back for… a few days or so.” “And then we’ll play?” she asked, frowning. “Yeah,” he agreed, smiling. What it would be like to have that innocence still; to never think of what darkness was out there but instead of the next game to play. “Go fill your backpack with some clothes and toys. I’ve gotta call your aunt, okay?”

With a nod, she hopped up and ran for her bedroom. He didn’t know what the hell he was getting into, but he knew he had to do it. “How long, Will?” Carrie asked knowingly. “I don’t know,” he admitted, rubbing his forehead. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really important.” “And you can’t tell me anything, can you?” He frowned. “No.” “Okay… Just…” She sighed. “Bring her by and we’ll have a girl’s weekend. Keep me updated, when and if you can. Last thing I need to do is worry about my little brother.”

Rolling his eyes, he grinned. “I’m not little anymore, Care-bear.” “You’ll always be little to me, Willy,” she reminded. “Now get my niece over here, you don’t bring her by often enough anyway.” He snorted. “I’m on my way.” Two hours later, he’d dropped Annabelle off with his sister in Metropolis and was back on the highway, searching for the woman he’d just decided to keep alive at whatever cost. He hardly knew her and he didn’t know what was coming, but he would do his duty.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

IV.  
Chloe had been walking for over an hour; she ditched her last ride at a gas station when his leering got out of hand. She considered calling her uncle from the payphone but still felt like she was too close to Will’s place to risk it. If the Decepticons knew anything about him they’d know how to find him and she didn’t want him in anyway connected to her. He had enough going on; he didn’t need her making more trouble.  
Still, she hardly knew him but she found herself trusting him. He was one of the few people out there who knew everything she did and he had a way of putting her at ease. It wasn’t everyday she found out an alien robot race was out to destroy the world and wanted to use her to do it. Her life was weird, but this was new even to her. Some part of her wanted to rewind the last few days and go back to a time when she was just living her less-than-stellar life. So work as a freelance reporter wasn’t going great for her; she had too many stories and not enough freedom to write them all. If Clark or the League were involved she had to keep quiet, and unfortunately for her those heroes had their hands in just about everything. It was nice to be trusted, but just once she’d like to do what she wanted all along; be the investigative reporter she’d dreamed of being. Instead, that dream was in Lois’ hands now, and Chloe was just making it by day-to-day.

The sun was falling and the traffic was slow; she wondered if she wouldn’t end up walking most of the way to the next city. Apparently, self-pity was her worst companion and knowing what she did left her stuck in her head for most of her travels. Having seen only one Decepticon she didn’t want to meet with any more. Despite needing Sam Witwicky’s knowledge, they hadn’t been careful or nice to him and he’d come close to dying more than once. If they couldn’t get her to comply, she was sure her death would be extremely painful. Wasn’t it always though? She smiled bitterly to herself. Seemed like every other day she was facing death in the eye and just living by the grit of her teeth.

She saw the headlights spread across the pavement and knew a vehicle was approaching. Having pretty bad luck so far, she almost didn’t lift her tired arm and pop her thumb up. But if by some chance somebody happened to take pity, she did hold out her thumb and wait. She was surprised when the vehicle stopped, the hum of an engine behind her. Turning, she saw a black SUV and frowned. Some part of her couldn’t hide the hope and expectation at the familiar truck, while another more stubborn side of her was irritated. Rolling her eyes, she spotted Will in the front seat. He was staring back stubbornly, daring her to argue. Walking around to the passenger side, she opened the door to glower at him. “What are you doing?” He frowned. “Saving your life.” Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “No offense, but I thought that’s what I was doing for you like three hours ago.” He shrugged. “So I’m returning the favor.”

Glaring, she shook her head. “I haven’t finished yet!” He laughed, amused by the triviality of their argument. “Anna is with my sister, okay? She’s safe,” he assured. “So, yeah, thank you for being noble, but it’s my job to keep you safe, not the other way around.” He was staring at her like he’d have no qualms chasing her down and shoving her in his truck if she tried to argue anymore. “You owe my daughter a game of Monopoly, Chloe. I just wanna make sure you stick around long enough to play.” She stared at him; the hard lines of determination and the genuine concern for her safety. Tired, sweaty, and seriously wanting to rest her legs, she let her shoulders slump and got inside.

He handed her a bottle of water that she might’ve drooled at had she not been dehydrated beyond measure. Settling in and plugging in her seatbelt, she stared at him from the corner of her eyes. “So? What’s the plan, Major?” Frowning, he sighed. “I need to get you back to my base. We’ll have to talk to Optimus; hopefully he’ll know what to do.” She bit her lip. “More robots?” He half-smiled. “Yeah, but these are the good guys.” Sighing, she leaned back against the seat. “If you say so.”

“Hey,” he said, drawing her attention. “You’re gonna be okay…” He stared at her sincerely. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Some part of her actually believed that. But then, luck was not a friend of hers. Before she could even reply, the screeching of metal and the slam of something huge and not friendly landed in front of the SUV. “You were saying,” she murmured, eyes wide. Scowling, he slammed on the breaks and hit reverse. “We’re not dead yet,” he reminded, turning his head to make sure he wasn’t about to plow into any vehicles behind them. Ten minutes ago, she’s been cursing the lack of traffic, now she was thankful for it.

However, pitting a giant robot bent on destruction against them in their SUV looked like a pretty pitiful fight. Hands gripping the armrest, she withheld her scream of panic as the metal being rushed them.  
“My glock so isn’t equipped for this,” she murmured. Will laughed before suddenly spinning the truck so they were pointed in the right direction. “Drive or shoot?” he asked her. “What?” He sighed impatiently. “Climb over here.” Eyes wide, she unhooked her seatbelt and shuffled closer to him. “Take the wheel.” Realizing what he was doing, she slid her leg down so her foot was next to his on the gas.

Using the door and his hand steadied just behind her, Will pulled himself out of the driver’s seat and into the back. Shaking her head, she climbed into his evacuated place and glanced back to see what he was doing. As she did, there was a crash, and she realized the robot chasing them had just slammed his hand into the rear of the SUV. Ducking her head more out of impulse than to keep herself safe, she moved with the sway of the truck before righting them on the road once more.

Hearing his cursing in the back, she turned to see Will wrestling with a lockbox hidden beneath the carpet covering the trunk area. When he got it open and hauled out a few AK47’s and a missile launcher, she almost laughed. Had she thought of it when racing away from her apartment, she might’ve gone back for her own car, equipped rather the same. She might not have military grade weapons, but she had a gun collection of her own and a few daggers and knives that came in handy. Not to mention the percussion bomb and sleep gas her uncle had given her for her last birthday.  
Rather than try and open the window, Will used his elbow to break the glass before aiming an AK47 at the oncoming robot.

Shoulders lifting to her ears as bullets popped behind her, Chloe winced at the overpowering sound. She was almost scared to look back and see, but curiosity was her curse. While his shooting was slowing it down some, their attacker was still coming at them entirely too fast. Pressing her foot down on the gas as far as it would go, she thanked the high heavens it was a straight road and there were no curves or turns to worry about. Will growled. “This isn’t working. It’s too hard to shoot from this level.” Before she could ask him what he planned to do, he’d climbed out the backseat window behind her, sitting on the ledge and using the roof as a stabilizer for his gun. “Jesus Christ,” Chloe muttered. Terrified he’d fall out, she kept looking in her rearview mirror to make sure he was there. Nearly driving into the ditch, she swerved abruptly, wincing as he gave a holler, letting her know she’d nearly unseated him. “Sorry!” she shouted back, biting her lip.

Eyes caught by the glow of one of the robots arms, Chloe turned to the right to avoid what she knew was coming. Before Will could argue, cement exploded just to the left of them as a blast slammed into the road where the SUV had just been. Following in quick succession, she watched the arm to see where he’d be shooting next. “GET INSIDE!” she screamed at him before avoiding each of the shots.  
Still blasting them, it was gaining and Chloe felt her heart in her throat. How the hell were they going to get out of this?And then they were caught, metal fingers digging in around the roof of the SUV, picking it up.  
“Hold on,” Will shouted, just before his arms wrapped around the seat to keep her in place. Scared, she covered his hands with her own, shaking.

Lifted entirely too far off the ground for her comfort, the ceiling of the SUV creaked and groaned before the fingers clenched and the roof gave. Dropping to the pavement, she closed her eyes and let out a scream. Head snapping forward as they hit the ground, she groaned and flinched when Will’s arms let go. Undoing her belt, she turned to see if he was okay, only to realize he was crawling in the back once more.  
“Chloe Sullivan – C Sully Run at hot mail dot com – remove yourself from the vehicle at your own behest or suffer the consequences!” a monotone voice yelled at her. Staring up at the dark mass of metal and wires, she cringed. Leveling the missile launcher, Will smirked. “Suffer this!” Pulling the trigger, he watched in satisfaction as the missile made contact and immediately exploded in the center of the robot’s form. Fire and protests escaped it as it wobbled high above, arms flailing and legs moving backwards before it fell in a crash, parts flying in all directions.

Leaning against the center console, Chloe stared in shocked disbelief. Turning, Will grinned at her. “Told you so.” She shook her head slowly. “This is…”Nodding, he climbed up front. “Yeah, it takes a minute to really set in.” Slumping in the driver’s seat, she stared unseeing at the empty road ahead of her. All the wreckage of what just happened was behind them and so it looked as if all she’d seen was simply an overactive part of her imagination. However, the sizzling and smoke behind her said the opposite.

Turning the key in the ignition, she dearly hoped the truck would still work. While there was a hiss of protest it gave a wobbling rumble of life. Looking at the man next to her, who was all too calm given the circumstances, she frowned. Turning the SUV around and pointing it in the direction they had been headed, she had to wonder if maybe Will had been right. Maybe she would survive this. When he grinned at her encouragingly, she set off past the dead robot and decided trusting him with her life wasn’t the worst thing she could do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

V.  
It was four in the morning when he offered to take over driving so she could sleep. After a switch in seats, she laid sprawled in the back, staring up at the stars as they passed by her eyes. “I always liked convertibles,” she murmured. He laughed lightly. “Until it rains.” She half-smiled. “Skies are clear, Major, I think we’ll be okay.”

The whistle of the wind around them lulled her senses and she found it rather easy to close her eyes in askance of sleep. But then a car whizzed past and her inner alarm went nuts. Every time she closed her eyes, she thought of the worst possible outcome… Not waking up. Or waking up and knowing that she’d taken Will from his daughter. What would she do if this ended in Will’s death? A sense of valor and honor were great attributes, but when he put those forward in an effort to keep her alive, risking his own life, she had a hard time accepting it. The heroes she’d known before him had friends, family, but never children. Will had a six year old daughter depending on him; one that cheated at Go Fish and liked Monopoly. She was a sweetheart, with the kind of innocence Chloe wished she still had. “Your sister was okay with watching over Annabelle?” she asked. He looked over at her, surprised she was still awake. “Yeah.” He grinned. “She’s always complaining I don’t bring her niece around enough anyway. They were setting up a girl’s night when I left.” She smiled. She used to have those with Lois. How long had it been now? Since she’d had any kind of life or interaction with those friends?

Deciding it was safer for everyone involved if she wasn’t a part of their lives and simultaneously being selfish and wanting some normality, she’d cut herself away from the only family she really had. Lois was okay though, she’d made sure of that. Clark was a constant in Lois’ life and while Chloe and Clark weren’t the best of friends they once were, she trusted her cousin’s welfare in his hands. “Think they’ll play Monopoly?” she wondered, tucking her arms beneath her head. “No…” He chuckled lightly under his breath. “She’s saving that for you.” Her brows furrowed.

“Guess you made an impression.” He looked back at her with a warm smile. “She told Carrie that she couldn’t play Monopoly until her new friend Chloe came back…” He shrugged. “Like I said, I’ll keep you safe and when this is all over… Monopoly.” She grinned slowly. Sounded good to her. With that in mind, she let herself fall asleep and dreamed of a future where she, Anna and Will played their game without fear of what could be around the corner for them next. She was the hat.  
…  
Chloe woke to honking. Looking around, she found herself in early morning traffic. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched her back and climbed up front, yawning all the while. “What time is it?”  
Looking over to her, he frowned. “Early.” She smiled at his grumpiness. “It was early when I went to sleep.” Gazing at the unfamiliar city landscape, her brows furrowed. “Where are we?” “Not where we need to be.” Scowling, he played with the radio, searching for a traffic report. “If we can get into town we’ll have enough cover that I can get a call out to my base. Driving around in this makes me feel like we’ve got a target directly above our heads.”

She nodded, chewing her lip and surveying the many disgruntled drivers in the cars around them, all obviously on their way to work. Spotting herself in the mirror, she cringed. Her hair was in disarray and the imprint of the backseat was clear on her cheek. Sleep had left her complexion pale and pasty; ugh, she looked awful. Scrubbing her face with her hands, she pushed her hair back into some semblance of control.  
Despite all that had happened, he still looked scrumptious. A little weary and a day’s shadow on his jaw, but otherwise he was as attractive as hell. “Why don’t you tell me about Smallville?” he suggested, drawing her out of her thoughts. Frowning, she looked up at him. “What’s there to tell?” “Meteor rocks,” he said simply. She sighed. “Just how far did you dig into my history?” He cocked a brow at her. “How much did you look into me?” Her eyes turned away. “Enough.” “Exactly.” Looking around at the clog of traffic, he glanced back at her. “So?”

With a roll of her eyes, she figured what the hell. So she told him everything, within reason. She still had to keep Clark’s secret and the heritage of Krypton wasn’t hers to share. But the powers and abilities and the insanity that came with them were free to share and so she did. He stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief. “I fight alien robots on a daily basis and that still sounds crazy to me.” She laughed. “Yeah, well, it takes a little getting used to.” He nodded agreeably. “So these green rocks… You think they might be of interest to the Decepticons?” Chloe frowned. “I don’t know… If they were, why come to me? Why not just go to Smallville?”

He shrugged. “While Smallville’s known as the meteor capital of the world, not a lot of people there are willing to talk about what happened or what became of it. A lot of what you wrote in The Torch was considered garbage, no offense. It wasn’t taken seriously and the local officials refused to take any interest. Maybe the Decepticons wanted to go straight to the source; find out what you know before drawing attention to their actual target.” She sighed. “So it’s not my hacking, it’s my knowledge of meteor rocks?” Glowering, he shook his head. “I don’t know anymore…” Traffic started moving and so in silence they went with it, each of them trying to find an answer to the question that plagued them. Just what was it the Decepticons wanted with her?  
…  
Getting a call out to the Pentagon wasn’t exactly easy, but he managed. “General, it’s Major Lennox… Are you sure you’re on a secure line?” “As secure as one can be, son…” he drawled. “Right,” he said, glancing at his surroundings.

Chloe was standing like a sentinel between him and the rest of the crowd, keeping people from getting too close. “We have a situation,” he said into the phone, as lowly as possible. “Don’t we always.” Will couldn’t argue. “You remember the civilian attack in Metropolis? By Terror?” “If I remember correctly, Terror was dismantled by your team…” “He was… But he wasn’t the only one to attack.” General Morshower paused. “What are you saying, Major?” “I’m saying the Decepticons want Chloe Sullivan… and we don’t know why.”

The General sighed. “I can have a team pick her up in—“ “Not needed,” he interrupted. “She’s here with me… We were on our way to the base when we were attacked… We were able to take it down and get away but the vehicle we’re driving doesn’t exactly scream subtle anymore…” Morshower sighed. “How far are you?” Checking his watch, he winced. “I can be there by tomorrow, at best.” “Do you want the Autobots deployed? Meet you halfway?”

He glanced at Chloe, who sidestepped an older woman, somehow explaining the situation and getting the woman to quickly walk in the opposite direction. “No. We’ll see them when we get there.” “You don’t want any backup?” Running a hand over his head, he exhaled heavily. “We’re ready and equipped to handle it right now. As long as we keep our whereabouts quiet and stay under the radar, I don’t think we’ll run into anymore trouble.” “If you’re sure…” “I am.” Frowning, he shook his head. “She doesn’t deserve this, sir. She’s just a civilian.”

“What do any of us deserve, Major? You keep her safe, you do your job, and we can all go home when this is over. Until then, quit focusing on the ‘shouldn’t have happeneds’ and keep your eye on the prize, son.”  
He bowed his head slightly. “Yes, sir.” “If there’s nothing else…?” “No. I’ll be in contact when I arrive at the base.” “Understood.” Hanging up the phone, Will crossed back to her, his brow furrowing as the other patrons seemed to give him a wide berth. “What’d you tell them?” She smiled. “Nothing. Doesn’t matter. So, what happened?”

Deciding to let it go, he nodded his head toward the door for them to leave. Hand falling to the small of her back, he kept her close as they left the coffee shop to walk down the sidewalk. His truck was parked around the corner in an alley, hidden from plain sight. “If we get on the road soon, we can probably be at my base by early tomorrow.” She nodded slowly. “Did he say anything else? Does he have any idea what’s going on?” Frowning, he shook his head. “No… None of us do. I’m hoping Optimus will, though.” Looking up at him, her brow furrowed gently. “You have a lot of faith in him.” “He’s a good guy… robot…” He smiled, shaking his head. “He’s a good friend.”

When they came to a stop next to the mangled SUV, Will popped the trunk and dug around inside until he found a bag beneath his guns in the lockbox. With what few necessities they would need and some firepower he couldn’t leave behind, they were as equipped as they could be without drawing attention. “We’re going to have to leave this here. We’ll get something else for the drive in. This is too conspicuous.”  
Chloe lifted a brow. “You think they’re on the lookout for SUV’s with the roof torn off?” Staring at her seriously, he replied, “I think they’re on the lookout for you, and you’re hard to miss when we’re on an open road and they have a bird’s eye view.” She shuddered at the very thought, her eyes lifting to the sky. “Just how superior are they?” Hooking his bag over his shoulder, he took her hand and squeezed reassuringly. “So far we’ve taken out two in as long as I’ve known you. It’s not a matter of superior.”

Before stepping out of the alley, he unzipped his bag and pulled out an old hat, one he often wore back at the Qatar base. “Here…” Sticking it on her head, he tucked her hair in beneath the confines and drew the front down low over her face. It was a little big on her, and didn’t really match her at all, but somehow it made her look undeniably cute. Taking her hand once more, he led her out of the alley, glancing both ways before deciding to turn right. “We’ll find a used car dealership and get whatever we can while avoiding as much hassle.” Wincing, she looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”

Frowning, he shook his head. “Trust me; this is not your fault.” “Maybe not, but I didn’t have to call you…” She sighed, contrite. “I should’ve called my uncle. I wasn’t thinking.” Stopping suddenly, he turned her around to face him. “You were scared and you were thinking that the only person you knew who had any idea what was going on was me… You did the right thing.” Grimacing, she shook her head. “You’re being nice,” she argued. “I almost got you killed.”

Chuckling, Will grinned. “And it wasn’t the first and won’t be the last time that’s happened.” Chucking her under the chin affectionately, he added, “So stop worrying so much. We’ll get through this and years from now you’ll remember how you were at war with alien robots and later lost a game of Monopoly to that handsome Major Lennox… Whatever happened to him?” He turned his eyes up teasingly. Rolling her eyes, she snorted. “Yeah, yeah, come on Major, we’ve got a beat-up car to buy, alien robots to outrun, a group of Autobots to inform, and a game of Monopoly waiting on us.” While that probably should have been the weirdest sentence he’d ever heard, it wasn’t.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not claim to own any of these characters or the story, with permission from SarcasticFina I am continuing the original <3

VI.  
While Will haggled with a used car salesman, Chloe noticed a small grocery store across the street. Tugging at his sleeve, she rolled her eyes as he merely nodded his head at her before returning his attention to Larry the Car King. With a sigh, she decided she’d explain herself when she got back and left him to it as she crossed the street at a slow jog.

Having not eaten in about a day, her stomach grumbled when she stepped inside the store to the scent of fresh bread. She was licking her lips and practically salivating when she realized they made fresh deli sandwiches. Ordering a couple for both her and Will, she perused the aisles for drinks and snacks to tide them over. She had her bag stuffed with the few necessities they’d need, including a map, flashlight and some old mixed CD that was on the discount shelf. It would fill in some of the time and if nothing else, they could at least muse over bad music. When she stepped out into the sun once more, she had to squint to see across to the car dealership, but frowned as she saw no Will. “Jesus Christ!” Her eyes widened and she turned abruptly to see him looming over her.

“Where the hell did you go?” he growled. Suddenly, the nice guy who’d been helping her all this time was replaced by the fierce soldier. She wasn’t scared but then she was a little turned on. His already broad shoulders seemed wider while his muscled arms flexed, large hands splayed angrily on his hips. Fierce brown eyes narrowed at her, waiting on an excuse. Turning her head, she pointedly looked at the grocery store. “I tried to tell you.” Frowning darkly, he rubbed the crease between his brows. “I was in the middle of getting us a car that wouldn’t show up anywhere and that I wouldn’t have to show much ID for when I turned around to see you were missing…” Taking a deep breath, which she assumed was to calm himself, he then added, “Just a tip… Next time you’re being hunted down by rogue alien robots, don’t up and take off on the one guy trying to keep you alive!”

Scowling, Chloe’s hands found her hips. “I didn’t just take off. I was hungry and I thought you might be too. If you had listened instead of ignoring me, you’d know that.” Yanking the sandwich free of her bag, she threw it at his chest. “Where’s the car?” Silently, he pointed at the pale blue beat-up truck a few feet behind him. Huffing, she circled him and climbed in the passenger seat, slamming the door on purpose. With a satisfied but sour smile, she watched as he looked up at the sky and mumbled a curse over the situation.

Plugging in the mixed CD, she ignored him as he got into the driver’s seat and started the truck. It came to life with a hiss and groan, engine rumbling. Angry, they each sat in silent discomfort. And then the croon of some unknown country singer belted out, “My wife left me, my do-ooog ditched… My kids don’t call and I lost my jo-ooob… But at least there ain’t no war goin’ on, ‘cause I done don’t got good lu-uuuck…” With a sudden bubble of amusement bursting from the both of them, they turned to look at each other before laughing loudly. Chloe’s hand fell to her stomach as it churned and ached, her ribs pained as she chuckled and gasped for air. Wiping tears from her eyes, she felt the tenseness of the situation dispel and sighed as she leaned back in the seat.

Still grinning to himself, Will shook his head before looking over at her. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to snap at you… I turned around, I couldn’t see you, I thought…” Half-smiling, she nodded. “I know… I should’ve tried harder to let you know. Honestly, I thought I’d be back before you and Larry were done.” “He’s a character.” She agreed wholeheartedly. “So who won?” He cocked an arrogant brow. “Who do you think?” She decided not to tell him that his scoring the hunk of junk they were driving wasn’t exactly his biggest achievement. He was so proud she just didn’t want to ruin it for him.  
…  
Will found driving tiring. The expanse of nothing and the never-ending road was making his eyes ache and his head pound. Sandwich long gone and his bag of chips no longer holding his interest, he looked to his passenger in hopes of entertainment. Searching for a topic of conversation, he only found one, “You still scared to meet the Autobots?” She frowned. “Scared isn’t the word I’d use…” “Terrified?” Rolling her eyes, she pursed her lips at him. “I’m cautious.” His brows furrowed. “They’re good guys.”

“To you, yes. To someone who appears to be the latest tool in a war bent on destroying earth…” She winced. “I’d want me gone if I were them.” Will shook his head. “Look, you don’t know them… All they want is for everybody to be safe. Their mission here is to keep the Decepticons from hurting humans. They would never do anything but protect you, at all costs.” Staring at him, her uncertainty was written plainly in her face. “I promise,” he said sincerely. “You’ll see when we get there...” He grinned, remembering the personalities and antics of his fellow soldiers. “They’re gonna figure this out.” He nodded faithfully. “Optimus will know what to do.” Chloe sighed. “I trust you… We’ll just have to see about the rest.” He didn’t know why, but that made him proud.  
…  
“Pull over,” she ordered. Will looked over at her, confused. “What? Why?” He cocked a brow. “Is this a bathroom break? ‘Cause I didn’t think to grab toilet paper.” She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Just pull the truck over.”

Lifting his brows at her tone, he turned the wheel and slowed the truck down on the curb. He frowned as she hopped out and circled the front to open his door. “Move over.” When he didn’t budge, she sighed. “You can either get in the passenger seat or I can climb into your lap,” she told him staunchly. “Make your choice.” He honestly wanted to go with opportunity number two, but seeing as he was exhausted and they didn’t really have the time to spare, he forced his thinking to stay primarily in his upper brain and moved to the passenger seat. Proud of herself, she climbed in and shut the door. “Seatbelt,” she told him as she pulled back onto the highway. Plugging his in, he looked over at her. “And all that was because…?”

“We have enough trouble on our hands as it is, we don’t need you falling asleep at the wheel.” He pursed his lips. “I was not going to—“ “You could hardly keep your eyes open.” Looking over at him, she stared seriously. “I got to sleep last night, now’s your turn.” Sighing, he knew she was right. Still, he didn’t have a whole lot of room and his long legs weren’t cooperating under the tight confines. “I don’t think I can sleep in here.” Rolling her eyes, she reached over and tugged on the collar of his shirt, drawing him down until he was sideways, his head hovering above her thigh. He looked up at her, wide-eyed.

She glanced down, smiling in amusement. “Go to sleep, Major.” He wanted to argue; he really did. How was he supposed to keep his thoughts pure when she was offering her lap up as a pillow? But as his cheek met her warm thigh, his eyes fell closed nearly immediately. The ride was bumpy and the majority of his body was curved at a weird angle. But she was soft and warm and he was so tired. “Iswill,” he murmured in exhaustion. Her hand was suddenly stroking his hair back from his temple. “Hm?” Eyes fluttering, he half-smiled. “It’s Will… Not Major.” He couldn’t see her, couldn’t open his eyes they were so heavy, but somehow he just knew she was grinning.  
…  
When he woke up, he’d crawled farther into her lap, his nose buried against her stomach and his legs cramped against the door. The sun was peaking on the horizon, highlighting her beautifully. Her hair shone a deep golden yellow and her eyes glinted emerald green. For a second, he thought he was still dreaming. He thought she was some angel come to take the burden from his shoulders. But then he inhaled deeply and the warm scent of flowers and spices filled his senses, he let his breath out on a sigh and she looked down at him, smiling. “Morning Major Sleepy,” she said softly.

He grinned and for a moment he could pretend he wasn’t in some cramped truck on the way back to the base to deal with the havoc of late. He could almost convince himself he was at home and the woman looking down at him was more than just another victim of war. That her smile was a gift from one lover to another; one he would return with a kiss. But then reality came crashing down and he realized he was in her lap, his arm curled around her leg and his face mere inches from a very intimate part of her body. He recoiled so quickly, he nearly hit his head on the steering wheel. Looking around, he blinked wildly. “You okay?” she asked, brows knit with both concern and amusement. “Huh? What? Yeah!” he sputtered, running a hand through his hair. Clearing his throat, he tried to wake up and get his confusing thoughts under control. “What time is it?” “Just after six,” she replied with a yawn.

“You want me to drive?” he asked. She shook her head, smiling. “No. I’m fine.” Taking in the familiar landscape around them, he figured it would only be another hour or so before they were at the base. “How’d you sleep?” she wondered, a glint of mischief in her eyes. He groaned. “What did I say?” She chuckled. “Nothing incriminating… Just something about Wild Bill and cocktail wieners…” Her eyes thinned. “Do I want to know?” He grimaced. “Probably not.” Laughing, she shrugged. “Okay… I’ll let it go… For now.” Stretching as best he could, he sat back in his seat and sighed. “If you’re hungry there should be a few apples left in the bag.”

At her offer, his stomach rumbled. Dragging it up onto the seat next to him, he rifled around until he found a Granny Smith. Rubbing it on his shirt until it shined, he bit into it and moaned appreciatively as the warm juice filled his mouth. “Tha’s goooood.” Glancing at him, she smiled lightly. Offering her a bite, he held it aloft to her, shaking it enticingly when she shook her head. With a roll of her eyes, she complied, turning her head to sink her teeth into the green skin and tear off a juicy bite. “Not bad,” she admitted.

“Blasphemy,” he replied, taking another bite and talking around it, “This here’s heaven, Chloe.” Licking her lips, she rolled her eyes. “If you say so.” He nodded. “I do.” “And your word is truth, obviously.” He smirked. “It is.” She snorted at his playful arrogance. “What’s your favorite food?” he asked her, cocking a brow. Tipping her head in thought, she decided, “Peaches.” “Book?” She glanced at him wonderingly. “We’ve got a few hours. Figure I should get to know who I’m saving,” he said simply. She obviously decided it couldn’t hurt. “I’ve got a few…”

The next hour and forty minutes went by quickly, filled with life stories, likes and dislikes, laughter and honesty. When his base came into sight, he almost didn’t want to turn in. Here was Chloe Sullivan, a twenty-something freelance reporter who was addicted to coffee, loved tulips, could hack better than anybody alive, had little to no family, wanted only the best for those she knew and so kept her and her danger-magnet-self at a distance, and was snarky, witty, and downright genuinely kind-hearted. As soon as they stopped, he knew two things. This tentative friendship he’d built with her was only going to make the mission harder and that he’d save her at whatever cost. Not because it was his duty or his job, but because he couldn’t deny the world someone like her. In the distance, military jeeps were driving to and fro and soldiers walked in a group toward the oncoming truck. There was a lot of explaining to be done and battle plans to be writ. He looked over to the worried blonde at his side and took her hand in his own. “I got you,” he told her, smiling. With a wobbly grin, she murmured, “I know.”


End file.
